Dirty Little Secrets
by aslycsi1315
Summary: An innocent question by Jack Hotchner reveals secrets about each team member's love life. Some secrets that are revealed are innocent while some are naughty...
1. Chapter 1

**April 20, 2012**

"Emily, I didn't know you had it in you," Garcia joked as Prentiss sat down at her desk. She shot the technical analyst a glare and answered flatly, "I have no idea of what you speak of."

"Come on, you can't tell us that there is nothing going on between you and Hotch," Morgan chimed in as he walked over to Prentiss' desk.

"Actually no- there isn't."

"We aren't blind- you two have been really close as of late," JJ added. Prentiss retorted, "We-just have been pretty close since the Doyle incident."

"Awww," Garcia smiled and said, "That's so romantic…..falling in love after Emily almost died."

"Hey- what about you two?" Prentiss pointed to both Garcia and Morgan, "What about the sleepovers you guys do every other weekend?"

"Oh, sweetie- we've been doing that for years."

"Does your boyfriend of four years know this?"

Morgan glanced down and Garcia's bright expression quickly turned into a nervous one. "Of course…he does…" she trailed off.

"They're right, you guys have been really close," JJ said. She looked over to see Hotch approaching from his office. He placed a pile of papers on Prentiss' desk and responded, "You left these on my desk yesterday."

"Oh, thanks Hotch," she answered. He gave the rest of the team a nod and briskly returned to his office. As soon as his door closed, JJ turned to Garcia and Reid and said, "Oh yeah, they are definitely sleeping with each other."

"I am not sleeping with him!" Prentiss exclaimed, drawing a little attention from others in the room. "I hate all of you."

"Is it good?" Garcia exclaimed, "Is he good? I've always wondered what it would-"

"Don't' even finish that sentence," Morgan muttered under his breath. JJ's eyes widened and she said, " Spoken like a true boyfriend or a jealous friend…..Wait, are _you two_ sleeping with each other?"  
"No- I am not cheating-on Kevin," Garcia stammered.

"How does it feel?" Prentiss laughed. Morgan shot her a dirty look and said, "Hey, at least I'm not sleeping with the boss."

"I am not sleeping with him!"

"Actually," Reid piped in, "Kevin was here on Friday looking for Garcia. He was seemed pretty upset that she was super busy on their anniversary weekend. I thought it was quite strange since she left with Morgan an hour earlier."

"Oooh- you're having an affair, Penn?" Prentiss exclaimed.

"Hey, I-I-I am not having an affair with Morgan….and don't profile me!"

"Too late- nervousness from the both of you. Oh, you are so having an affair and-and you are picking on me as a cover!"

"Hey- don't you- oh, hey Jack," Garcia exclaimed, but dropped her voice at the sight of Hotch's seven year old son.

"Hi, Miss Penelope. My auntie," he pointed to Jessica, who was knocking on Hotch's office door, "has to do something for work so I get to hang out with you guys today."

"Excellent," Garcia said. She picked up Jack, who gave her a sad look. "What's wrong, little man?" she asked him.

"Miss Emily, are you gonna be my new mommy?" Jack asked, causing a horrified look to appear on Prentiss' face. Garcia giggled and asked, "What do you mean, Jack?"

"Jack, how about we talk about this in the conference room-"Prentiss started to say, but was cut off by Morgan who said, "Go on, Jack."

"Well, yesterday they was watching a movie past bedtime and I went to go to the bathroom and I saw them sleeping on the couch. They looked like how Daddy looked in his pictures with Mommy."

"Oh, oh- so Emily, what's the answer?" JJ asked. Reid, who had been quiet the entire time, now stood up next to Morgan with an interested look.

"I- we were just watching a movie-"

JJ asked, "Jack, what time is your bedtime?"

"8:30- I couldn't sleep and the clock in the kitchen said 11:30."

Morgan burst out into a laugh while Reid began to snigger. Reid asked, "What were you doing at Hotch's house at 11:30?"

"I-I-I-"

"I also have another question," Jack said, "Auntie Penelope, are you gonna marry Uncle Morgan?"

Garcia's smile instantly disappeared and JJ asked through a giggle, "What would make you ask that question, Jack?"

"I saw them kissing in the elevator when Auntie Jessie and I came to see Daddy yesterday."

Morgan turned around to walk away, but Reid grabbed his arm. "Hey, where are you going?"

"I have to-go and –do stuff?" Morgan stammered. Jack's lip trembled as he said, "I'm sorry. I was just asking. I do have one more question- is Uncle Spencer gonna be Henry's step daddy too?"

Reid and JJ exchanged shocked look. "Uh, Jack…"

"I wanted to know just 'cause- I asked Miss Strauss yesterday-"

"You did what?" the four profilers and Garcia exclaimed at the same time. Almost simultaneously, Hotch and Jessica stepped out of Hotch's office, resulting in a confused stare at the individuals in the bullpen.

"Hotch, we need an emergency meeting in the conference room!" Morgan exclaimed. Garcia put Jack down and said, "Love you sweetie, but we'll be right back." JJ, Reid, and Prentiss darted to the conference room as Morgan ran up to the Unit Chief and pulled his arm towards the conference room. On the way, Morgan banged on Rossi's office door. Rossi stuck his head out to say, "What?" but was only dragged out by Morgan and pulled to the conference room.

Once in the conference room, Hotch stared at his team mates. "What the hell is going on?" he exclaimed.

"Jack was asking some question because of some things he saw…" JJ answered in a shaky, nervous voice. She started pacing behind Reid, who said, "Questions about our personal lives- more specifically, who we are dating."

Hotch anxiously answered, "And…"

"Aaron, I'm falling in love with you," Prentiss blurted out, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.

"Excuse me? What?"

"Derek and I started sleeping with each other six months ago!" Garcia squealed anxiously. Morgan nudged her and whispered, "We wanted to ease him into it." She rolled her eyes and pulled him into a kiss. Once Garcia, pulled away, she turned to see Hotch standing with his mouth agape.

JJ looked down to a spot between her feet and said, "I lied- I actually haven't been single since Will and I broke up four months ago…I've actually been dating….Spencer."

"What?"

Rossi, who had been sitting quietly in his seat, spoke up quietly, "Hey, I've been behaving."

Hotch suddenly looked down at Rossi and said, " You haven't been behaving- you slept with Alice from Counter Terrorism, Daniela from Money Fraud, and Carol from Human resources- and that was just last week."

"Wow, the Italian Stallion roars loose," Morgan joked, earning a playful slap from Garcia.

JJ butted in, "Guys- everyone's dating and happy; yeah! Jack asked Strauss about us."

"What?" Hotch responded. His eyes traveled over to the bullpen, where he could see a very angry Strauss enter the bullpen. "Oh God."

"She's here?" JJ asked, approaching the window. In the meanwhile, Rossi gave Garcia a quizzical look and asked, "aren't' you with Kevin?"

Garcia glared at him. "So how many girls has it been this week?" Rossi rolled his eyes and put his hands up in defense, signaling the end of the conversation.

Hotch gently opened the door and peeked his head out to find Strauss. The team suddenly heard, "Agent Hotchner!" in a loud bellowing scream. Prentiss stepped back and mumbled, "We are so dead."


	2. Chapter 2

"We're going to die, aren't we?" Garcia whimpered. Morgan pulled her back and said, "Stop freaking out."

Up front, Hotch and Prentiss were peeking through the shades as Strauss made her way through the bullpen. The Section Chief was on a roll before she suddenly stopped at the stairs and pulled out her cell phone. From the conference room, each member held their breath as Strauss spoke on her phone and shot a glare towards the conference room.

"She might be calling a hit man," Garcia whimpered. Reid turned to her and stated, "That would be a violation against FBI policy and federal law-"  
"Spencer, stop," JJ said in an annoyed tone. Reid instantly quieted, but gave her a smile. Behind them, Rossi rolled his eyes.

"Seriously, what is she doing?" Prentiss whispered. Hotch glanced between her and then opened the door. " Ma am?" he called out. Strauss pocketed her phone and growled, " There's a case in Seattle that your team will attend to. When you all return, though, we will all have a long talk."

"Of course-" Hotch started to say, but stopped when Strauss turned on her heels and walked away. The Unit Chief turned back towards the team and said, "We have a case."

" Oh thank God," Garcia gasped. She placed a hand on Morgan's chest and looked to the ceiling. " If there was ever a time for us to be called in, today was the best time!"

"You do know people had to die for us to be saved from Strauss?" Rossi said. Garcia smiled and pulled out her laptop from her bag. " Yes, I know that, but you get what you get. I'm personally scared to death of- wait, have you slept with Strauss?" she finished with wide eyes. Rossi narrowed his eyes at her and said, "You don't want to go there, kid."

Prentiss sat down. " I do when you say it like that-"

"Hey!" Hotch exclaimed, getting everyone's attention. He straightened up and pointed to Garcia's computer. "We focus on the case right now and our personal…love lives later. Understood?"

While Morgan, Rossi, and Reid answered, " Understood," JJ whispered to Prentiss, "He's a little grumpy…There might be a way to fix that, Emily."

"Shh!" Prentiss stifled a laugh and whispered, " Do I dictate your love life?"

"Prentiss, JJ! Focus," Hotch called from the other side of the room. Garcia had pulled up the case photos on the flat screen. Both women whispered, "Sorry," before turning their attention to the flat screen. Garcia was still opening the file before she suddenly froze. "Oh, son of a-"

"Garcia!" Hotch exclaimed. Garcia's eyes darted between her superior and her computer screen. "Sorry, sir. It's, um- ok, here we go. Seattle police have called us in because someone is….going after clowns."

"What?" Morgan exclaimed before bursting into laughter. He soon stopped when Garcia stomped on his foot.

"There is a serious…clown hater in Seattle," Garcia continued, " Four clowns- well, grown creepy dudes who play clowns- were found dead within ten miles of the city center. Each clown is from a different entertainment company. There are actual companies for this?"

"Garcia…." The technical analyst winced at Hotch's warning remark.

"Sorry, sir. First up is Hale Thomas, a forty year old clown from the metro area disappeared last Wednesday night and was found the next morning. Neither his wife nor his friends had the slightest idea that he was a clown."

Prentiss commented, "The bruises on this guy are deep. Whoever did this was angry. Seriously angry- maybe our unsub has some serious childhood issues….How did the wife not know that she was married to a clown?"

"The same way I didn't know that half of the team I spend most of time with was sleeping with the other half," Rossi remarked. JJ glared at him, "Coming from the same man who claims his innocence even though he's charmed his way into pretty much very female's heart in this building?"

"Everyone would include you…" Reid muttered. JJ turned to him, "No, Spence. Nothing-"

"Focus!" The Unit Chief exclaimed. He expected Garcia to continue on her peppy way, but saw the technical analyst staring at the screen in a near catatonic state. Morgan kissed her on the cheek. "Don't worry, Baby Girl. You'll be here nowhere near the clowns and we'll handle it."

"Are you sure? I don't want-"

"Garcia…." Hotch shot Garcia another warning glare. She instantly focused her attention on the screen and finished, "They all had their throats slashed, body cut up, and were torched."

"So we're looking for a pyromaniac clown hater?" JJ asked. As if on cue, her hand went in front of Reid's mouth. "Don't even think about it."

"What?" Reid pushed her hand away, "I wasn't going to say anything-"

"If any of you," Hotch cut in with an angry tone, "say one more word out of focus like just now, I will suspend you. Do I make myself clear?" He received six nods before he directed, "Garcia, get going on a full history of each men. The rest of you- wheels up in forty."

Once Hotch walked out of the room, Morgan pointed between Prentiss and the direction Hotch had just walked off in. "Fix that."

What?" Prentiss exclaimed, " He's right….."

"Don't play teacher's pet," Garcia remarked, "it doesn't suit you. By the way, JJ, what was the trick you did with Reid?"

JJ grinned. "You mean getting him to not rant? It's a secret that I can't tell you." Reid looked away, trying and failing at hiding a mischievous smile. Garcia snorted as she continued to pack up her equipment.

"Did any of you hear what Aaron just said?" Rossi asked from his spot at the table. Garcia placed her laptop into her bag.

"We did," she answered, " We're just all so excited that the kitty cat is out of the hat! No more secrets! Oh My God, I just had the perfect idea! We can have like a super wedding where we all-"

"Seriously? All of you go and get ready for the case," Rossi stated, "Come on, you all are better than this." Morgan and Reid stood, Morgan commenting, "We're going, we're going. You sound very moral compass today, Dave."

"Just because I'm siding with Aaron?"

"No because this is coming from the man who has probably broken every fraternizing rule in the FBI handbook."

Rossi smiled and started towards the doorway. Before he left the room, he said over his shoulder, "You have no idea…."


	3. Chapter 3

**Andrews Air Base**

Prentiss sat down in one of the seats furthest from the front of the plane. The jet was minutes from taking off to a very awkward three hour trip to Seattle. Only JJ, Reid, Morgan, and Prentiss were on the jet.

"I have to say, it feels good to get everything off my chest," Morgan said as he sat across from Prentiss. She rolled her eyes at him, snorting, "Seriously? That's everything off of your chest?"

"Well….for now." He chuckled at Prentiss' irritated expression. Reid, who sat next to JJ with an arm around her shoulder, asked, "I have to agree with Morgan. You know that openness about one's relationship with a significant other leads to higher rates of satisfaction and can-"

He was cut off by Prentiss saying, "Before you go on with that _wonderful _statistic, Reid, I just want to warn you about the physical intimacy with JJ."

"Aww, are we jealous?" JJ teased, "Did you take my advice on how to cheer Hotch up?"

"No, I couldn't even do that if I wanted to," Prentiss growled. Morgan laughed and said, "Hey, don't be ragging on them because you went with-"

"Tall, dark, handsome, miserable, all work-and-no-play Aaron Hotchner?"

"Exactly." Across from them, Reid kissed JJ's forehead, which caused her to giggle. Prentiss rolled her eyes in response.

"You know he hasn't said a word to me since the conference room," she told Morgan, "Out of all the men-"

"Here he comes!" Reid exclaimed. He attempted to nudge JJ away from him, but in the moment, actually pushed her off the seat. JJ landed on the floor and exclaimed, "Son of a-"

Hotch and Rossi stepped into the cabin of the plane. The Unit Chief noticed that the cabin had instantly quieted; JJ was climbing into her seat, Reid was doing his nervous stare at the floor, and Prentiss and Morgan were halfheartedly looking out the window. The intercom in the cabin soon sounded off, alerting that it was time to take off.

Thirty minutes later, Prentiss was still sitting with Morgan, watching Hotch with a curious expression. Everyone was quiet until Reid heard a noise coming from his laptop.

"Oh, Garcia is calling!" Reid suddenly piped. He opened up his laptop and found the perky red head smiling back at him.

"How was take-off, loves?" she asked.

Hotch opened up a file. "Did you find anything, Garcia?" he asked.

"Of course. First thing first," Garcia's demeanor instantly changed, "SSA Morgan, why have you not returned any of my calls?"

Morgan sighed. "Penelope, I know you're deathly afraid of the clowns, but we'll be ok. You don't need to call me every thirty seconds-"

"Garcia, the case," Hotch snapped. Garcia shot Morgan a glare before pulling up two photos of the victims. "Alright, while you all were taking off towards the beautiful- actually freezing- Seattle air," Garcia said, "I found more information on the….. clowns."

"So, what did you get, love?" Morgan's eyes quickly widened when he felt Hotch glaring at him, "Baby girl, I mean…Penelope."

"Timothy Hoops….weird name…..worked at very highly ranked entertainment place," Garcia stated. She pulled up two photos of Timothy- one of them was DMV photo and the other was his promotional clown photo. "If he has posters out, I'm still not understanding how his wife didn't realize that he was a clown. Then again, I can't blame him-"

"You're rambling, Miss Thing."

"Was I? Oops, pulled a Reid." On the jet, Reid looked up, confused at the sound of his name. Garcia continued, "The stories read the same for every victim. Everything I have on them has been sent to your tablets. Boy wonder, you're going to have to share with someone since you hate technology."

Reid scooted towards the computer. "I don't hate technology! I just-"

"Garcia is there anything else?" Hotch interrupted. There was a pause on the line before Garcia answered, "Nope! Ok, so be safe my sweets! Don't make the nightmare about you guys and the clown unsubs in…a…mansion- oh I shouldn't have brought it up! Be safe though …..especially you, Agent Smoking with a sexy-"

"Baby girl!" Morgan exclaimed, "We really have to go! " In the corner of his eye, he could see Prentiss and JJ trying to contain their laughter.

"Ok, I'm out." Garcia shot him a malicious smile, "Call me." Morgan rolled his eyes and clicked the end call button on the computer. He looked up to Rossi giving him a confused look.

"What?" Morgan asked. Rossi pointed to the computer, "Is there really a difference between when you two weren't dating and now?"

Morgan snickered and leaned back in his chair. "That I can tell you about now? I don't know if you could-"

"What did I say?" Hotch suddenly exclaimed, quickly silencing the cabin. The Unit Chief sent every agent a murderous glare. "I need a response!"

"Focus on the case…" Reid answered from the opposite side of the cabin. With his eyes low, he finished, "Sorry Hotch. Won't happen again."

"Of course it will. My suspension threat still stands and I will use it. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," JJ, Morgan, Prentiss, and Reid answered. Rossi gave a slight nod, thinking that like always, his response would suffice. He realized that he was wrong when Hotch glared at him with a demanding look. The eldest member sighed and responded, "Understood, Aaron. "

Two seats back, Reid whispered to JJ, "I don't think I've ever seen him pull rank on Rossi like that. I didn't think that was even possible."

"Neither did I, Spence," JJ started to say, but was quickly silenced by Hotch's suspicious glare at her. _Yes, this is going to be a __very__ awkward case._

**Frank's Parades, Clowns, and Gags- Seattle**

"Did it seem like Hotch wanted to get rid of us ASAP? We didn't even get a chance to breathe before coming here," Prentiss asked while closing the SUV door. She stood in front of one of the entertainment businesses that one of the victims had worked at. The weather was chilly, adding a damper onto Prentiss' already low mood.

"Kind of, but….Em, you alright?" JJ asked, catching Prentiss' sad expression. The brunette shrugged. "Did I mess things up by sleeping over at Hotch's apartment that night? If Jack hadn't of seen us-"

"We would have been caught either way, Emily. Speaking of, what exactly is going on between you two? I mean, are you _dating _dating, having 'fun', or did you just blurt out your love in the in front of the entire team?"

"I don't even know." Both women stepped into the small business office. Prentiss continued on, "I don't know how Rossi can read Hotch like a book. I swear I'm going to be ninety years old before I figure out if he's into me."

"Good luck with that," JJ spotted a short clown sitting at the front desk, "Excuse me, sir. Are you the manager?" The man jumped out of the chair and landed with both hands in the air. "I'm Frankie Zee the goofy clown, he-he! What can I do for you ladies? A birthday party? A work gig? A little bedside show-"

"As _pleasing_ as that all sounds, we're actually here for the FBI," Prentiss stated, flashing her badge, "We want to talk to you about one of your clowns that died-"

She stopped when Frankie's lips began to tremble. "Timmy Two Shoes was such a good man and a damn good clown," Frank declared proudly, "He always had the kids and parents laughing! Rest his soul."

"We're sorry for your loss. When was the last time you saw him?"

"A few days ago- Timmy had snuck away from his apartment-"

JJ interrupted, "Snuck away? I, uh, saw in his file that he was married. Was he sneaking around his wife?"

Frank sniffled and blew his nose on his collar. "Yeah. Timmy didn't want his wife to know of his obsession with being the best clown that there is."

"Obsession?" Prentiss asked. She bit her cheek to stop herself from laughing.

"Timmy wanted to be a clown god and he could have done it!"

"Did he have any enemies?"

"Yeah, every clown within fifty miles." Frankie dove behind his desk and started searching for a map. After accidently tossing a stuffed clown and whoopee cushion at Prentiss and JJ, Frankie stood up and handed them the map. "Those are all of our competitors," he told them with a confident tone, "If one of those fools hurt Timmy, let me know and I'll get 'em for you nice ladies."

"Thank you," Prentiss said. She turned on her heels and walked out with the map. Once in the SUV, Prentiss closed her eyes as JJ buckled herself in. "A clown war, a clown like affair-obsession or whatever, and sixty suspects all with screaming children as alibis. Can we go home?" she joked.

JJ started the SUV and said, "We could, but it's either deal with this lovely case or go against Strauss and the longing _will they or won't they _thing you have going on with Hotch. Make your choice."

"I hate you."

JJ smiled brightly towards Prentiss. "No you don't. You love me."


	4. Chapter 4

**Seattle Police Station**

"How was clown city?" Rossi asked the two female agents when they returned an hour later. Prentiss rolled her eyes and dropped the map Frankie had given her onto the table. JJ sat down in a chair and dropped her head back.

"If I get hit on by another creep again, I swear to God….." JJ muttered.

"You got hit on?" Reid called from the coffee station. The agent almost dropped his mug of coffee.

"He was a freak, Spence. It's fine. How was your visit to the other entertainment company?"

Reid hesitated, still wanting to talk about Frankie. His girlfriend's glare made him move on.

"Rossi charmed his way into the owner's heart," Reid stated, "then Morgan had to talk the whole trip back to the police station to his.._snuggie-puss_."

Morgan froze in shock as Prentiss laughed. Rossi nodded his head in disbelief and asked, "Wait- so while not dating you're Penelope's _chocolate god of thunder_, but when you two actually start going out, the best you can come up with is _snuggie- puss_?"

"Well, what had happened was-" Morgan stopped at the sight of Hotch standing at the doorway. Everyone else in the room caught on and instantly quieted. Hotch stepped into the room and noticed that every profiler was staring nervously at him. He pulled out a chair and sat down, expecting the team to get back into action. When no one budged, Hotch asked, "Is there something wrong?"

"Nope, absolutely not," JJ answered in a chipper tone, "Emily and I received a map noting Timothy Hoops' enemies from the store owner of Frank's gags, whatever, whatever. Garcia's checking everyone who's on the map for their alibis."

Reid placed a small stack of photos in front of Hotch. "Rossi, Morgan, and I went to Smiley's Entertainment Company to speak to the owner about Hale Thomas. The same thing happened about every other clown in town being enemies of Hale Thomas. Oddly enough, Timothy Hoops and Hale never met even after representing Seattle at the National Clown Competition last year."

Morgan raised an eyebrow. "A clown competition? You got to be kidding."

Reid stepped around Hotch and went into a rant. "Actually, this year that competition took place in Washington D.C. It was fascinating to watch-"

JJ placed a hand over Reid's mouth. She said, "We're good, Spence. They don't need to know that."

"Why not? It could be beneficial to the case and it was such a nice date for us-"

"Date?" Prentiss giggled, "Reid, you take JJ to a clown competition for a date?"

"You don't know the half of it…" JJ muttered. She saw Hotch irritably looking up from his file. JJ quickly added, "which is not really pertinent to the case. Anyway, it's going to take a while before we can get a list of suspects from Garcia."

"The medical examiner is still working on the bodies," Rossi added, "apparently the material some of the clowns wore is making it hard to get the full examination done."

"So we're stuck?" Prentiss asked. There was a glimmer of hope- if they all went back to the hotel, she could have time to talk to Hotch.

"Everyone go back to the hotel and rest," Hotch directed, "and when I said, rest, I mean _rest_."

The team went their separate ways, leaving Hotch and Prentiss in the room. Prentiss stood up and placed her hands on the table. "Aaron, can we talk about what happened the night that I slept over?"

Hotch looked up. " Emily, I don't think now is the time for this-"

"Then when is? We haven't really spoken since and I kind of what to know what's going on between us."

"Emily, I-"

Prentiss walked around the table to Hotch, stopping inches from her superior's face. "Aaron, I know you have feelings for me. I can see it in your behavior," she continued in a seductive voice, "and how tense you've suddenly gotten. I want you to hold me and love me without you pulling boss or rank on me."

Hotch blinked nervously in response. Prentiss smiled and added, "Here's how it's going to go: stop being so anal about things or no nothing from me. Choose very carefully."

"You-you can't just-"

"Alright, your choice has been made." Prentiss turned on her heels and walked out of the room. Without even looking back, Prentiss knew that the Unit Chief was standing in shock, regretting everything he had just said.

The next morning, JJ and Prentiss walked to the police station, both sipping coffees.

"So Reid is that bad at dates?" Prentiss asked.

"Yep- our first date was at a lecture on some chemical thing that I don't care about. Date number two was at a dance club where he failed badly at dancing, third date was Comic-con and so on and so forth. How are you and Hotch?"

Prentiss chuckled while opening the police station door. Inside, everything seem to be normal except for the two clowns arguing in the lobby. Both agents ignored the clowns and continued on with their conversation.

"I gently reminded him of our feelings for each other and the consequences of him not being so anal."

"Nice! So are you two a thing now?" JJ asked. They both sat down across from Morgan, who was on the phone with Garcia, whispering, "I love you too….no, you hang up…no, you hang up….."

Reid was standing near the window in deep concentration over a book. Rossi was talking with a smitten female officer and the Unit Chief was nowhere to be seen. Prentiss was tempted to go search for Hotch, but as if right on cue, the Unit Chief stepped into the room.

"We have a suspect," Hotch stated, "A clown named Daniel Hardy threatened both Hale Thomas and Timothy Hooper last month . Prentiss and I will go speak to him while you all continue working on the profile." He half expected some kind of response, but only received five innocent nods.

"Did everyone get some rest?" Hotch asked. As expected, JJ and Reid looked away nervously, Rossi smiled at the smitten officer, Morgan was sitting still and trying to look innocent, and Prentiss was staring back at Hotch with a malicious, seductive smile on her face.

"I'm going to take that as a no," Hotch replied, "I'll-I'll let that go."

_Nice try, Aaron. It's going to take a little more than that, _Prentiss thought. While her teammates sat dumbfounded at the Unit Chief's sudden change in behavior, the brunette realized that the case wasn't going to be all bad.


	5. Chapter 5

Prentiss stepped into the interrogation room where she saw a tall clown with blue floppy clown shoes pacing nervously by the table. His hands were behind his back and his head was down while the man muttered, "They can't get me….they can't-"

"Excuse me, sir," Prentiss called out. Hotch stepped close to her, making Prentiss grin. The clown stopped his pacing and looked up. "Are-are you the police?" he stammered.

"No, we're from the FBI. You can relax, Mr. Hardy. I'm SSA Emily Prentiss and this is SSA Aaron Hotchner. Please take a seat."

Daniel let out a sigh of relief and plopped down into the chair. He said, "I was worried that you guys were going to arrest me for telling a bad joke!"

Hotch didn't even blink in response as he stated, "You're known for having issues with Timothy Hoops and Hale Thomas-"

"Oh….those two." Daniel rolled his eyes in disgust. "Tell you the truth; I'm not even upset that they're dead." It took Daniel a minute to realize the error of his words. He waved his hands frantically and exclaimed, "Not like that! Not like that! I mean….it's not world ending that they're dead- I'm screwing myself over, aren't I?"

"Did you hate them?"

"Yeah, I hated them, but it's a tough business."

"You're a clown," Prentiss commented.

Daniel shrugged it off. "Yeah, but we don't play in Seattle. They were mean little SOBs and I have proof."

Hotch leaned slightly forward and asked, "Proof? What do you mean you have proof?"

Daniel dropped his voice as if someone was watching. "It's at my house. Go ahead, check it out."

Twenty minutes later, the team, some members confused and others annoyed, stood in the center of Daniel's living room. Balloons were crowded in a corner, wads of papers were scattered around the floor, and even the leftovers of a dinner- pizza and chips- were scattered over a couch. The oddest thing in the room was an old white computer surrounded by a stack of VCR players, record players and an old flash camera. Each member was feeling sad for leaving behind Garcia in Quantico because none of them had any idea of where to start.

"Are we doing an episode of Hoarders right now?" JJ gasped. She slipped on her crime scene gloves and started poking through the wads of papers on the floor. Rossi took a step towards the door, ready to pull rank on any of the younger members over who would go through the half eaten food.

"It'll take days for us to go through this," Reid muttered in disbelief, picking up the camera. Hotch ignored his comment and walked over to the kitchen, which was in the same condition.

"How the hell does one man have this much crap from the 80s!" Morgan growled in frustration. He saw Rossi open his mouth to protest, but Morgan cut him off, "Don't even go there, Rossi. You have two tablets and more skills than 30 year old Reid does with technology!"

"Morgan," Hotch warned with a glare. The African American agent darkened his expression and walked over to the stairs to cool himself down. Next to the dining table, Prentiss ran her hand under the table, praying not to touch any gum or anything else the owner could have possibly stuck under there. She suddenly pulled out an envelope that had been taped under the table top. Inside were a stack of photos.

"Wait; are these…surveillance photos of the other clowns?" Prentiss asked.

JJ walked over to Prentiss and took a look at the photos. "These look like the real deal," the blonde profiler commented, " Watching two of our dead victims go to the store, go to the movies…..slap each other around at birthday party- Are you kidding me?"

"Oooh, let me see," an excited Reid exclaimed. At that moment, Morgan snapped.

"Clowns harassing clowns- oh, that's it!" he exclaimed. Morgan angrily turned to Hotch and continued, "This is the most idiotic case we've ever had! Can't the B team or C team do this? Or even…I don't know Clown PD?"

Reid raised an eyebrow. "Clown PD? You can't be-"

Morgan pointed an angry finger at Reid. "Don't test me right now, kid! I personally would like to go home, sleep, and get my girlfriend from stop calling me every three seconds because of some stupid clown phobia! If I see another red nose or bouncy blue hair-"

Hotch put a hand in front of Morgan to get him to calm down. "We took this case and we _will_ finish it. I cannot pass a case up because it's a little….. out there."

"A little out there? You have got to be kidding-"

"Hey, let's call it for the day," Rossi suggested from his spot near the door. His suggestion was overshadowed by Reid aimlessly ranting about a similar case in Iowa, JJ trying to get Reid to shut up, and Morgan and Hotch arguing.

"Guys!" Rossi screamed. Everyone quieted and turned to him. "Everyone is a little on edge so let's head back to the hotel, sleep, eat, and start up in the morning."

"Wait, Hotch, can you get us reassigned onto a different case?" Prentiss suggested.

"Emily," Hotch responded, "I cannot hand over a case because it's silly. I assumed that none of you would even consider such a thing."

"Well, yeah, but desperate times call for desperate measures, Hotch. Please tell me that there hasn't been a case that you've overlooked because it seemed kooky."

"No, I haven't and not have I considered….it." The Unit Chief glanced around the room and saw a guilty looking JJ and a mischievous smile on Rossi's face.

JJ nervously exclaimed, "Don't look at me like that, Hotch. I haven't….I mean, there have been a few cases that have…I haven't-"She composed herself and finished, "I'll shut up now."

"Alright, everyone head back to the hotel…I'll see what I can do about the case," Hotch directed. Morgan rolled his eyes and started off towards the car. JJ and Reid followed him, leaving a still mischievous looking Rossi, Prentiss, and Hotch.

Prentiss called out, "Dave, you alright?"

"Yeah…..speaking of letting a case go because it was stupid," Rossi laughed, "There was this case where-"

Hotch cut him off. "I don't want to hear it. Dave, leave."

Rossi shrugged and walked off. Prentiss started to follow him, but Hotch pulled her close to him. "Emily, can we talk over dinner tonight? I need to explain my behavior."

Prentiss mocked concern and said, "Are you ill?"

"Excuse me?"

She placed a hand on his forehead. "No, it's just that all work and no play- 100% focus on the case Aaron Hotchner just asked me out during a case."

He stammered,"Well, I-"

Prentiss gently kissed him on the cheek. "You are a little warm….."

"Um, I-" Hotch gave a nervous laugh.

"Yeah, how do you feel?"

"Honestly…..Emily, I just want to-"

"Don't spoil the surprise, Aaron. First thing, first- get us off this case," she told him, " and then when we get home, you can tell me what exactly you want to do to me."

Prentiss walked away leaving Hotch standing and chuckling, "Wow…."

The next morning, Prentiss stepped into the hotel dining room where she found the rest of the team. A tired JJ was leaning against Reid, Rossi was casually reading a newspaper, Hotch was placing printouts on the table, and Morgan was staring off into space.

"Morning….what's going on?" Prentiss asked. Hotch looked up and stated, "I spoke with Strauss regarding us and this case and she agreed that our resources can be used somewhere else. In Lawton, Oklahoma, there have been a string of triples plaguing the city. Because the victims were so technological savvy, Garcia will meet us in Lawton….along with Strauss."

"What?" Prentiss and Morgan exclaimed. Reid jumped up unexpectedly, which made JJ almost fall to the ground. "Seriously, Spence. A warning would be nice!" she yelled.

"Yes, Chief Strauss will be evaluating the team," Hotch looked over to Rossi, who was still focused on the newspaper, "She wants to make sure that we can still function and get the job done."

Rossi quickly glanced over and exclaimed, "Wait! Why are you looking at me?"

"Dave-"

"I'm not the only bad one on this team! What about JJ and Reid? Morgan and him being _the other man? _"

Morgan shot Rossi a glare. "I am not the other man!"

"Really?" the older profiler retorted, "does Kevin know that his relationship with Penelope is over?"

Morgan opened his mouth then closed it, his eyes glancing over to his cell phone. Rossi smiled triumphantly before turning to the annoyed Unit Chief. "Sorry, Aaron," he said, "we'll be good for Strauss- I promise."

Before Hotch could respond, JJ blurted out, "Hotch, you have to behave as well. I mean, you did ask Emily out to dinner…."

"How did you-"

"Emily told me," JJ stated in a casual tone. Prentiss giggled at the Unit Chief's shocked look. She told JJ, "It's absolutely adorable how he thinks we have any form of privacy on this team…."

The Unit Chief realized that the conversation was getting nowhere. "You know what? The plane leaves in an hour."

As Hotch left the room, Prentiss turned to Morgan and said, "At least Garcia doesn't have to worry about us being near clowns."

Morgan rolled his eyes. "And you think Strauss is going to be any better?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Flight to Lawton, Oklahoma**

"So within the last eighteen months, there have been triple homicides popping up at random times and places in Lawton," Hotch stated. He looked up, wanting each team member to be engaged and focused, but deep down he knew better. After hearing that Strauss would be evaluating them within a few hours, Prentiss, Morgan, JJ, and Reid were each quietly freaking out. As usual when dealing with Strauss, Rossi was calm and relaxed, spending the time looking through his own case file.

"Are any of you listening?" the Unit Chief asked. Prentiss, who was staring at a spot in the wall, said faintly, "I wonder if the CIA is hiring…."

"No one will be fired."

JJ sighed, pushing her case file to the side. "This is Strauss, Hotch," the blonde profiler exclaimed, "Most serial killers would rather take the chair than deal with her!"

"See, this-"Hotch held up a finger, "is why Strauss is coming in the first place. This team is losing focus." Before he could continue, Garcia appeared on the plane's computer screen. Her hair was in a messy bun, a minor thing compared to her frazzled blue business jacket and her skewed glasses. After the gasps from Prentiss and JJ, Rossi raised a hand, sporting an innocent look on his face. Hotch growled in annoyance and called out, "Dave?"

With a touch of arrogance, Rossi said, "Here's what I think should happen. You all relax and let me take care of Strauss."

"What are you going to do?" Prentiss snorted, "Sleep with her?"

Rossi only looked over his shoulder towards Prentiss. The brunette agent rolled her eyes and added, "I'm sorry. Sleep with her _again." _

"You make it seem like it's a bad thing-"

Hotch slammed a hand down on the table to get the team's attention. Garcia let out a whimper while JJ, Reid, and Prentiss stared at the Unit Chief, each wide eyed. Morgan shot Hotch a glare and as usual, Rossi sat in his chair, impassive.

"While we are on this case, there are going to be rules," Hotch growled, "Rules that each and every one of you will follow. First off- Dave, you will not flirt, date, sleep with, or seduce any woman in Lawton. And if you so much as flirt with Erin, I swear to God…."

Rossi stood up with crossed arms. "Or what? I dare you to threaten me, Aaron. Scratch that, I _double _dare you to threaten me."

"Dave-"

"You asked for it. Listen up, little ones." Rossi walked down the aisle towards Prentiss, "January 21, 2012. It was the Twin Cities cannibal case that took us to a city of freezing temperatures. The temperature had just dropped like a rock to way below zero and our dear Unit Chief, "Rossi held out a hand towards Hotch, "and I were stuck in our dead SUV. If you all remember correctly, Aaron seemed to have a cold that day, but in fact it wasn't just a cold. I discovered that he actually had a high fever after he told me some interesting things about him and our very own Emily Prentiss-"

Hotch could see the intrigued looks on everyone's faces, especially Prentiss'. He needed to stop this now.

"Enough!" the Unit Chief yelled, instantly silencing the cabin. Rossi was taken aback and put two hands up in defense. With his glare still locked on Rossi, Hotch snapped, "Garcia?"

Eyes filled with fear, "Garcia stammered, "Yes, sir?"

"On this case," Hotch told her, "keep… your conversations…. _professional_."

Garcia opened her mouth, but Hotch cut her off by adding, "And I mean it. No nicknames-"

The technical analyst's bottom lip trembled.

"No flirting with Morgan anywhere and I mean anywhere between now and when we return to Quantico-"

Garcia dropped her fluffy pink pen and let out a whimper.

"Also while in Lawton, I want professional dress for this case."

Garcia let out a yelp and covered her mouth. On the jet, Morgan scooted towards the screen and said, "It'll be alright, Penelope."

"Derek, the last time I went all mortal dress, I nearly went crazy!"

Morgan flashed a charming smile. "Don't worry, we'll be home soon and I'll giving you a warm, bubble bath with chocolate covered straw-"

"What did I just say?" Hotch snapped. Morgan pointed to screen and exclaimed, "I'm just trying to calm her down!"

"Jeez, Hotch, it was one little thing. What the hell is the matter with you?" JJ yelled at Hotch. Next to her, Reid tried to whisper for her to calm down, but failed. JJ turned to him and angrily snapped, "Don't you dare tell me to calm down, Spencer."

Before Prentiss and Rossi could join in on the argument, the pilot came onto the overhead, "Please fasten your seatbelt and secure any loose items. We'll be approaching Lawton Fort Sill Regional Airport within thirty minutes. Unfortunately, it's a little stormy down there….."

Prentiss plopped down into her seat. _It's not just down there that it's stormy, _she thought, _Aaron's pissed everyone off, Strauss is waiting at the station with ammo ready to fire us all, and the bloody weather is going to slow us down. _

A wave of turbulence shook the plane as it prepared for descent. Prentiss closed her eyes and muttered to herself, "This is going to be just great."

**Lawton Police Station **

The team didn't even make it through the police station doors before they were spotted by Strauss. The Section Chief had looked relaxed before she saw the team. Now, she looked past irate and impatient. Strauss pointed to a small room labeled Conference 213.

"We all need to have a chat before the case," Strauss stated. The woman didn't wait for a response from the team before marching towards the conference room. It took a few minutes for the nervous agents and panicking technical analyst to enter and sit down in the room. After closing the door and circling the room, Strauss got down to business.

Strauss shot the Unit Chief a dark, murderous glare. "Agent Hotchner, when your seven year old son came up to me asking if half the squad was going to marry the other, I thought very little of it. 'He's only 7, he must be confused', I thought. But due to the large amount of chatter around the Bureau, I'm beginning to think Jack Hotchner was up to something. So let me ask you this once- are there inter-team relationships going on in this squad?"

Dead silence.

Everyone's eyes flickered over to Hotch, expecting him to send a calm, clear response to Strauss. The Unit Chief only sat quietly, hesitant to give an answer. The silence was broken by the conference room door opening and a police officer stepping in.

"Agent Hotchner," the officer called out, "We got another triple."

"Thank God!" Garcia let out a sigh of relief and stood up. Strauss raised an eyebrow, which sent Garcia into a panic. "I mean…..thank God that, um, there is another chance….to save the day and- I'll shut up now." She slid back to her seat and dropped her head on the table.

Hotch stared at Garcia for a moment before turning back to the officer. "We'll be there in a second. Actually, I'll send-"

Strauss cut him off. "I'll go with you all to do my evaluations. First, I'd like to see…..Agents Reid, Jareau, and Prentiss out in the field to make sure that they can do their job."


	7. Chapter 7

The ride to the crime scene was very interesting.

Reid drove the SUV down the highway while Strauss sat in the passenger seat. In the backseat, Prentiss and JJ were trying to find ways to pass the time without saying or doing anything incriminating. For the brunette agent, the "evaluation" was making her stomach roll.

"Oh, this is bad," Prentiss groaned, resting her head onto the headrest. The blonde profiler reached out to give her friend an empathetic pat on the shoulder, but stopped halfway at the sight of Strauss' glare through the rear view window. JJ slowly withdrew her hand and placed it on her lap.

Strauss turned in her chair towards Prentiss and asked, "I can safely assume that you're talking about the case or the evaluation?"

"No, ma am," Prentiss lied rather quickly, earning an elbow from JJ. The brunette continued, "My stomach is just upset. I'll be fine, ma am."

"I see." Strauss scribbled down a few notes on her clipboard. Then, the Section Chief asked Prentiss with a dark stare, "How long have Agent Reid and Agent Jareau been in a relationship?"

Prentiss' eyes widened in shock, Reid hit the brakes on the SUV, and JJ exclaimed, "Ma am! Agent Reid and I aren't in a relationship. I would never-"

"Hey," Reid whimpered from the driver's seat. JJ snapped at her boyfriend, "Reid, just drive. Ma am, what evidence besides a seven year old's word-"

"Don't you dare question my ethics, Agent Jareau!" Strauss suddenly roared, causing Reid to hit the breaks in surprise again. Everyone flew forward in their seats causing the papers and case files to fall onto the floor, creating a large mess in the backseat for JJ and Prentiss.

"I'm not questioning anything-"

"I have actual evidence and a witness to a….event between you and Reid from a month ago on the eighth floor." Strauss was a bit disappointed when she didn't see a reaction on JJ's face. A nervous Reid, on the other hand, hit the brakes again causing Strauss to yell at the top of her lungs, "Pull over!"

"Yes, ma am!" Reid answered nervously. He pulled the SUV to the shoulder of the road and jumped out. Strauss slid out and marched around the car to the driver's side, which gave JJ and Prentiss only seconds to free-talk.

"What did you do on the eighth floor?" Prentiss squealed in excitement.

JJ rolled her eyes. " Nothing…..that I'm going to tell you unless you figure things out with Hotch."

"I did. I plan on getting him off the pissy train and then sleep with him. Done- now fess up."

Both women went quiet when Strauss reentered the SUV. The Section Chief gave the backseat one last glance to see two innocent looking women that were guilty on so many accounts looking back at her.

**Lawton Police Station- 3 Hours later**

"Erin, you're looking lovelier every day," Rossi commented in a bright, happy tone as the Section Chief and JJ, Reid, and Prentiss followed her into the conference room. Strauss rolled her eyes and snapped, "Shut up, Dave."

"What did you find at the crime scene?" Hotch asked. Reid darted over to the whiteboard and broke out into a nervous rant, " There were two sets of size 11 shoes running through the house. It appears to be men size- did you know that the average shoe size in America is a size 10? Statistically, that has changed over time due to changes in human body. There was this study-"

"Reid!" Morgan exclaimed, "Stop!"

"Sorry." Reid placed the marker down and without eye contact towards anyone said, "We-we should also look to see if the family had any other homes. They seemed pretty rich- maybe this was a hate crime."

"Sounds good," Strauss stated. She turned to Hotch, " Agent Morgan, come with me and I'll evaluate you and Miss Garcia."

Morgan worriedly glanced over to Hotch, who said nothing. With a large sigh, Morgan reluctantly followed Strauss to the second conference room where Garcia had set up shop. Once they had left, Rossi turned to Hotch and yelled, "What are you doing?"

"What am I doing?" The Unit Chief angrily repeated, "What the hell did I tell you about flirting with Erin?"

"Oh, I'm sorry that I'm not letting her walk all over me like you are! Man up!"

"Hey, I'm trying to protect our jobs by pleasing Strauss the best way that I can-"

Both men were in each other's face now. " That's not the Aaron I know," Rossi growled, " You would have shut her down a long time ago. What's going on with you? Too afraid to talk about your feelings to Prentiss?"

Hotch opened his mouth then closed it.

Rossi continued, "Get the hell off your high horse, Aaron. You're just as bad as we are."

The Unit Chief darkened his expression before turning on his heels and walking out. Rossi hesitated before exchanging a guilty look with Prentiss. She held up her hand and said, "I'll talk to him."

* * *

Outside the police station, Prentiss found Hotch sitting on a bench near the parking lot. His head was in his hands. Prentiss sat down next to him and rubbed his shoulder. "It's alright, Aaron," she whispered.

"No, it's not!" Hotch exclaimed, "Dave's right. I'm- I've been out of control as of late. Emily, I'm worried about…..everything."

"I know. You need to relax about Strauss. I mean- not super relax, but not telling- Garcia- to- dress- like –everyone- else- relax."

Hotch smiled at the comment. "You're right about that. I guess…it's my job to protect this team and I may not be able to if Strauss gets her way. God- How did I miss this? JJ and Reid….Morgan and Garcia….Dave- Dave, I already knew about."

"You aren't perfect, Aaron."

"I know," Hotch muttered, "It's hard remembering that when you have so much on your plate."

"Yeah…" After quickly deciding to switch topics, Prentiss inched closer to Hotch. She glanced back over to the stairwell of the police station and then asked, "Aaron, do you love me?"

_Buzz. _Hotch's cell phone went off before the man could say anything. He looked down on the screen to see that it was Rossi. Hotch smiled slightly, saying, "Damn….I think we're missed."

"We're always missed." Prentiss stood up and stretched her arms. Before she could start walking back to the station, Hotch grabbed her hand. He looked her straight in the eyes and said, "Yes, I do love you."

"Really?" Prentiss teased, "Well, Aaron….prove it."


	8. Chapter 8

Prentiss walked into the police station, closely followed by Hotch. They had expected the station's operations to be running as they had left it, but were both surprised to see that officers had gathered in the main room, ready to be briefed.

"We aren't ready to give a profile yet," Prentiss exclaimed in annoyance, "Did Strauss set this up?"

"I'll figure it out. Stay here," Hotch told her before walking quickly towards the conference room. Prentiss watched him walk away before turning her focus towards the officers in the main room. A wave of exhaustion passed through her, making the brunette agent more irritable. She wanted nothing more to be in bed, preferably snuggling with Hotch.

_Does Aaron actually snuggle? _Prentiss thought to herself. The thought of the stoic Unit Chief snuggling in bed made her snort.

"Agent Prentiss?" She suddenly heard in her ear. It was Strauss, holding onto her notepad and wearing her usual, dark expression. Strauss' sudden appearance caught Prentiss so off guard that the agent let out a curse and then covered her mouth in shock.

"Excuse me?" Strauss exclaimed, "What did you just say?"

_Oh crap. Oh crap! Where the hell is Aaron? _"I'm sorry, ma am. You had frightened me," Prentiss stammered. She mustered up a fake grin. The Section Chief didn't buy it.

"Do I look like I'm here to play games, Agent?" Strauss growled, "I'd like a word in private with you. Right now."

"Yes, ma am."

Strauss marched towards the front door. Prentiss whipped her head around and shot the first person she could see a look that screamed _help me_. The receiver of the message, Garcia, instantly went into frenzy. Prentiss could see her alerting Hotch and trying to explain the situation to a confused Reid.

"Agent Prentiss!" Prentiss grimaced at her name being called. She had no choice, but to go outside and meet with Strauss.

Alone.

* * *

In the conference room, Garcia was panicking like she hadn't before.

"We're going to die…..we're going to die," Garcia frantically repeated while pacing up and down the room. "Emily is going to get killed by Strauss. Then, I'm going to get killed and then my Der-Bear could be possibly be killed. Oh God-"

"Wait- what about the rest of us?" Rossi remarked with his usual malicious smile.

Garcia retorted, "Don't even go there, mister. You're safe because I'm pretty sure you and Strauss are dating."

"Dating? I wouldn't call it dating….." Rossi trailed off nervously.

"Then what would you call it?"

JJ put a hand in front of Garcia to calm her down. "Guys, let's focus on the task on hand. I'm sure Emily will be fine. Yes, Strauss may yell and threaten dangerous things, but Hotch will…Hotch?"

The Unit Chief was staring thoughtfully into space and didn't respond.

"Hotch?" JJ repeated, "You with us? Your possible girlfriend is outside getting yelled at…"

"She _is_ my girlfriend," Hotch muttered before looking up to his teammates, "I have an idea that could help us shut this whole evaluation thing with Strauss down."

"It's about time!" Rossi exclaimed as he threw his hands in the air. He started strutting across the room while shooting off questions excitedly, "What do you plan on doing, Aaron? Call the director? Use up some old skeletons?"

The eldest member's excitement caused some raised eyebrows from Garcia, Morgan, and Reid. Hotch glanced over to Rossi before stating, "We're going to end this right now. To make this plan work, everyone is going to be involved, especially you Dave."

* * *

Back outside, a shivering Prentiss stood quiet, trying her hardest to pay attention to Straus. The Section Chief was still yelling and was now beginning to go off topic.

Strauss walked in a circle around Prentiss. "…And to have this team engage in such activities is an insult to the Bureau! This is just like the Doyle incident. If you had been more efficient-"

"Ma am!" Both women suddenly heard from the front door of the station. It was Hotch, standing with the rest of the team. Strauss rolled her eyes and growled, "This is between Agent Prentiss and me."

"Who is on my team," Hotch growled, "You need to back off on this wild goose chase." Hotch walked down the stairs and stopped inches away from Strauss. "What evidence do you exactly have on us?"

"Don't try to act all innocent, Agent Hotchner! I know of every relationship on this team and here's the proof," Strauss argued. She pulled a stack of pictures from her bag and held it out where everyone could see. Prentiss slid between Morgan and Rossi, where she saw Strauss' 'evidence.'

"After Jack Hotchner had asked me those questions, I began to look into it to see if it was true," Strauss continued, her voice filled with anger. "I then get a phone call from Security finding footage of Agent Jareau and Agent Reid having….intercourse in the bullpen two months ago!"

Unfortunately for the Section Chief, the team's reactions were unexpected.

"See I told you that it was a bad idea," Reid whispered to JJ. She rolled her eyes and snapped, "Don't blame this on me."

"Dangerous….sneaky…. unexpected. Nice going, kid," Morgan said with a smile, "You too, Jay."

As JJ smiled in thanks, Garcia took a photo and asked with marvel, " Aww, Jay. That lingerie is adorable, JJ. Did you get it from Victoria's Secret?"

"Excuse me!" Strauss yelled, "This is a serious matter! And this isn't even the tip of the iceberg- within the past year, I have footage of Agent Morgan and Miss Garcia having intercourse in Miss Garcia's bunker, Agent Morgan's office, the bathroom table, the conference room on both the floors below and above ours, SUV #3-"

Prentiss laughed and asked Morgan and Garcia, "What are you, animals?"

"No," Garcia answered in a matter- of –fact tone, "We're just very hungry. And that's just at work."

"Wait, was that the SUV we used in Maryland? The one that I took a nap in the backseat in?" Reid exclaimed in disbelief. All the color in the youngest agent's face drained away when Garcia nodded.

"And you, ma am," Hotch said, bringing the attention back to him and Strauss. "What about the things you've done while at work?"

"Aaron, I don't know what you speak of-"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," Hotch shot her a threatening glare, "And I have evidence to prove it. For example-"

"Don't you dare!"

Ignoring Strauss, Hotch continued on a roll. "Dave has told me of the many…. _escapades_ involving intercourse between the two of you within the last ten years. Basically, you've done what we've done many, _many_ times. Agent Rossi, would you like to reiterate?"

"I'd love to," Rossi walked up next to Hotch with a wide grin, " I believe that we've had escapades in your office, my office, the main entrance, the Colorado police station- ooh, remember the escapade during the President's visit-"

"Ooh, I bet that was fun," Morgan commented.

Rossi nodded. "Trust me. It was-"

"Enough!" Strauss yelled at the top of her lungs. "As the Section Chief, I have to abide by the rules of the Bureau…..however; because of my behavior with Agent Rossi, I have no choice to overlook the behaviors of this team. I am warning you- if you are caught engaging in any kind of romance by another FBI official, I will not defend you."

Prentiss rolled her eyes. _Of course you will._

" And this stays between all of us, "Strauss added before she bolted for the police station door. As soon as the woman was out of earshot range, Garcia squealed in delight.

"We're free!" She cheered. Hotch put a hand out, warning, "Calm down, Penelope. We need to focus on this case and-"

Prentiss pulled him into a kiss before the Unit Chief could finish. She then placed a hand on his face. "Be Aaron right now and not the boss. I'm impressed by the way."

A smile slowly appeared on Hotch's face. "Really now?"

"I am," Prentiss laughed as Hotch wrapped his arms around her waist. "So the game plan was to irritate Strauss into submission?"

"Yes. Simple and easy," Hotch answered. He turned to the rest of the team, " Even though this is over, you all need to remember that we are at work. Keep any romantic expressions to yourself until after the case."

Garcia clapped her hands in delight. "Of course captain, I'm so excited! wait-"Garcia whipped her around. "Where's Rossi?"

It took the group a minute to realize where the eldest member would have most likely to gone to. Reid and JJ giggled at the thought of Rossi doing another escapade with Strauss so soon after her evaluations. Morgan put an arm over his girlfriend and asked Hotch, "I just thought of this, but Hotch, we've never heard any of your dirty secrets. Got any you want to share?"

The Unit Chief stated firmly, "No, I have none. " He started walking towards the police station doors before adding over his shoulder, "that I'll tell you."

JJ laughed and commented, "He's evil for saying that. All kinds of evil….."

_But he's my evil. _Prentiss thought before following the team back inside. _And for all they know, that's just the beginning of it. _

**The End**


End file.
